Can you still unscrew the lid off a jar? Can you still get up from your chair with ease? And do you still manage to climb the stairs without any trouble? If you can answer ‘yes’ to all these questions, then your muscle mass is still in good shape. But did you know that we lose muscle mass as we get older? And if you don’t do anything about it, you’ll lose strength, mobility and balance. Ultimately, this can lead to nasty falls. In this blog, we at FRISKFYSIO explain muscle loss – also known as sarcopenia – and show you how to maintain your strength and balance for as long as possible as you get older.
Loss of muscle mass after the age of 50
Did you know that you lose around 1 to 2% of muscle mass every year from the age of 50? From the age of 70, we lose as much as 3.6% per year. Hetfvvdvxvx is simply part of getting older. If you do little exercise, this process is even faster. As age increases, so does lack of exercise. A lot of time is spent sitting. If a person is bedridden, the process of muscle decline is even more rapid. Spending a few days in bed already accounts for 1.5 kilos of muscle loss. Moreover, that lost muscle mass is replaced by fatty tissue, which in itself causes all kinds of health risks.
Muscle strength can only be maintained by using your muscles
Move, move and move again, is the advice. But sometimes that is no longer so easy at a venerable age. So how can you still keep your muscles strong? Our physiotherapist can help. Together with you, we look at what you can still do. With tailor-made training, good coaching, guidance and nutritional advice, you can prevent loss of muscle mass.
Proteins are good fuel for muscle building
Besides a balanced training schedule, it is also important that you take in the right `fuel' to support your muscle building. `uw diet should therefore be high in protein. Proteins are found in fish, meat, eggs, soya, meat substitutes, nuts and seeds, dairy and legumes. Per day, you need at least your body weight x 0.8 grams of protein. That figure in grams is the amount of pure protein needed to maintain muscle mass. For building muscle mass, this is even a bit more. Food packaging often indicates how much protein it contains per 100 grams. One egg contains only 6 grams of protein, but in an 80-gram piece of chicken breast, there is a whopping 30 grams of protein. It pays to keep a close eye on your protein intake.
Want to know how to recognise muscle loss (sarcopenia)? Then pay attention to the following:
- Can't manage to open a jar anymore
- Climbing stairs takes effort
- Getting up from a chair is more difficult
- Clumsy falls
- Walking slows down.
Do you think you might have sarcopenia? Or would you like to prevent it? If so, please get in touch with FRISKFYSIO
Would you like a tailored training schedule and nutritional advice to recover from sarcopenia? Then you can contact contact us by emailing info@friskfysio.nl or calling 085-5000333.
